When my Japanese roommate and I graduated
from college, I had no idea that the pressures
awaiting her in her homeland would be the oppo
site of what I would face in America. I am thankful
for the variety of career opportunities here. But I
think we could learn from the Japanese that the
raising of our children is, in itself, a worthy pursuit.
NANCY PETRILLO
Houghton, New York
Your correspondent's assessment that "Western
concepts of romance play little or no part in Japa
nese marriage" applies only to the thin veneer of
wealthy city dwellers and landowning rural peo
ple, not to the propertyless majority in the cities.
There, compatibility and mutual acceptance based
on love and respect are the criteria, at least among
the many Japanese I have known in almost half a
century of life in Tokyo.
RUDOLF VOLL
Kowloon, Hong Kong
Vanishing Wildlife: A Personal Vision
James Balog's photographs are extraordinary
(April). He captured the unnatural circumscribed
world these animals are engulfed in.
LISA A. SITKO
Trenton, New Jersey
The animals meticulously posed are endangered,
but they are also captive. Their innate beauty and
dignity have already been exploited by the per
forming theaters, zoos, and aquariums that "own"
once
better
that
acc